All metal automatic cooling tower



April 1939. w. J STOLZER 2,154,587

ALL METAL A UTOMATIG COOLING TOWER Filed Jan. 22, 1938 ,Zayz.

ATTORNEYS I 40 in the various views,

Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an all metal automatic cooling tower for ice machines, bottling plants and other apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel cooling tower which will utilize the latent heat of evaporation to cool water ten to fifteen degrees cooler than air temperature with a resultant saving of power consumption on various types of machinery.

A further object is to provide apparatus including an all metal cooling tower and a regulating tank which will be formed of a few light strong and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture and install, and which .5 will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of 15 this specification,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a cooling tower, regulating tank, and connections, constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the tower with the spray cap removed.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 showing a spreader pipe on one of the bolts which connect the angle iron uprights.

Figure 4. is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 showing another of the connecting bolts without the spreader pipe thereon.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts 10 designates a regulating tank which may be disposed near the machine upon which the cooling system is to be installed.- A water supply pipe ll enters the tank and is equipped with an outlet pipe l2 which is sup- 45 ported upon the bottom of the tank. A valve l3 controls water supplied to the tank and a float l4 controls the valve to maintain a predetermined water level in the tank.

A baflle [5 extends downward in the tank to near the bottom of the tank. The water to be cooled is drawn from the tank by a conventional pump l6 which is preferably driven by an electric motor H. The outlet pipe l8 of the pump is conducted preferably through the roof I 9 of the building where the device is to be used and rises to the top of the cooling tower about to be described, as best shown in Figure 1.

The cooling tower comprises four upright angle irons 20 which form the corner supports of the tower and which are connected together by bolts 5 2| extending horizontally in superposed planes at a suificient distance apart to form hangers for a stack of pans 22. Certain of the bolts have pipes 23 sleeved upon them to form spreaders or spacers for the corner angle irons 20. As best shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, three of such pipespreaders are illustrated.

The cooling pans are provided with rolled ,rims 24 through which the bolts 2| are passed to suspend the pans one above the other. Each cooling 16 pan is provided with a reticulate bottom 25. The bottom 26 of the lowermost pan is imperforate since this pan forms a collection pan. An outlet pipe 2'! leads from the bottom 26 of the lowermost pan to the top of the regulating tank Ill.

The water pipe l8 from the pump is provided with a transversely disposed extension 28 at the upper end which extends to about the center of the top of the tower and is terminally equipped with a stand pipe 29 which rises axially in a pyramidal shaped spray cap 35. For securing the stand pipe and spray cap in place preferably four threaded rods 3| are disposed diagonally across the tower and are secured to the corner 30 supports 20 by nuts 32. The rods are connected together at the center of the top of the tower by an annular collar 33 which is sleeved on the stand pipe 29 and supports the stand pipe in place.

The spray cap 30 is provided at the bottom with depending tabs 34 to which clips 35 are bolted, these clips having rounded extremities which embrace the rods 3|.

A branch pipe 36 leads from the water pipe I8 40 at a point just above the collection pan 26 and is controlled by a valve 31 the stem 38 of which is passed through the roof l9 and disposed adjacent to the regulating tank l0.

In operation the water to be cooled is pumped from the regulating tank I0 and forced upward through the pipe I8. and stand pipe 29 to impinge against the top of the spray cap 30. The mass of water in finely comminuted form is directed downwardly by the spray cap and escapes 5 progressively downward through the reticulate bottoms of the cooling pans in a mist or spray until the collecting pan is reached from which the cooled water is discharged back through the regulating tank through the pipe 21, While gravitating through the tower as just described the water is aerated and the latent heat of evaporation will cool the water ten to fifteen degrees cooler than air temperature. In practice it has been found that the water lost by evaporation.

hangers for pans, spreader pipes on certain of the bolts butted at the ends against the uprights, pans having rolled rims engaged over said bolts to suspend the pans in a stack spaced apart from each other, said pans having reticulate bottoms to permit the contents to escape and be aerated, a collection pan carried by the lowermost hanger beneath the reticulate bottomed pans, an outlet pipe for the collection pan, an inlet pipe directed at the top to discharge its contents upwardly above the uppermost pan and in the axis of the tower, a spray cap connected to the tower at the top thereof for deflecting water downward from the outlet pipe to the pans, and a valve controlled branch pipe connected to the inlet pipes at the top of the lowermost pan adapted to direct the liquid to be cooled in freezing weather into the lowermost pan.

WILLIAM J. STOLZER. 

